If They Dare
by perrykat
Summary: Sequel to If They Ever! Now that Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Perry Michael have begun their life together, things are looking up. But with loose ends that still haven't been tied, both are in for a crazy ride. When the lines between good and evil are blurred, will Perry and Heinz's new relationship survive? Human!AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Perry was floating. The world around him rippled and dipped in rhythms only the maestro of nature could understand. He breathed in and out, feeling his headspace empty out into blissful peace. He closed his eyes, lulling his body into a well-practiced meditation.

 _Inhale, exhale, inhale.._

 _Wait, was someone calling his name?_

Suddenly, a huge splash interrupted his meditation, and spun him a few inches out of the way. Growling, Perry the Platypus swished his tail into action and bobbed his head above the water.

Heinz Doofenshmirtz, his stupid, impossible, completely ridiculous, but adorably sexy boyfriend, also rose to the surface and let out a yelp of agony.

"Agh! The water is so cold! How are you swimming right now?"

Perry chattered, rolling his eyes, and flicked the surface of the water, splashing some in Heinz's face.

The man sputtered. "Hey! No fair!"

This began a well-overdo water fight, with each mammal trying to splash the other into surrender. Finally, Heinz called a time out, coughing from fits of laughter, and stumbled up to the surface of the water.

There was no one else in the indoor swimming pool, mostly because all of O.W.C.A.'s trainees were out for classes, and all their agents were on field work. Perry climbed out of the pool after Heinz, shook off his wet fur, then released a small microchip from his wrist watch.

Instantly, his teal fur was traded for a mane of teal human hair. Once his human lungs began to soak in oxygen, Perry leaned over and lightly punched his boyfriend in the arm.

"Careful. It's a miracle the agency's staff let you in here."

"I worked here for a little bit, remember?" Heinz chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows. "And it's not fair that you are technically semi-aquatic. I would have totally won that water fight."

Rolling his eyes endearingly, Perry reached over and set a gentle kiss to the man's lips. "Whatever you say, you dork. Come on, let's shower and get out of here. I'm starving."

Heinz would have definitely jumped in the same shower as Perry, but the agent playfully scolded him, promising some alone time later that evening. Perry still valued some sense of professionalism when they were in public.

Now washed and dressed, Perry and Heinz retreated into O.W.C.A.'s cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. The room bustled with both animals and humans alike, all communicating on the mundane proceedings of life.

Though honestly, Perry thought the mundane schedule to be quite a relief. It'd taken months of work to restore Danville after the debacle of last summer's latest threat. Whole companies had needed rebuilding, new security and medical sites had been added, and of course, many of the civilians had had a hard time readjusting to normal life again after the crazy scare.

Despite the tragedy, however, Perry was proud to say that Danville's resilience was unchallenged. And O.W.C.A., probably the most affected organization by the disaster, had come back more powerful and determined than ever before.

Agent Pinky the Chihuahua noticed Perry and Heinz, and sat down at their table, obviously pleased with what was on the menu that day. Perry tried to ignore the stares from his coworkers as they wandered to the tables around him. He was grateful Heinz never took notice of those kinds of things, probably because he was so used to it from childhood and had developed a sort of mental barrier towards it. But for Perry, it wasn't easy having his identity revealed, plus making public his new relationship with his former nemesis. Most of O.W.C.A. wasn't thrilled. Perry received so many death threats from anonymous coworkers. But he tried to ignore this for now, happy that Pinky was willing to accept them.

Although Heinz couldn't understand a word of what the little dog was saying, Perry was happy to translate.

 _Have you been out on your assignment, yet?_ Perry asked nonchalantly.

 _Mmm, yes._ The little dog barked. _Professor Poofenplotz was determined to raise a whole army of teenage girls to stamp out Danville. Luckily, I happened to arrive just in time._

 _An army, huh?_

 _Well, in reality, I doubt any teenager in Danville would be willing to listen to her awful music videos. But at least another crisis was averted._

When lunch was over, Perry kissed Heinz goodbye and proceeded to one of his new classes. This week, they were going over different combative techniques, and the new recruits would need a little bit of direction.

When Perry entered the gym, he noticed Vanessa in the corner and waved. She giggled and waved back. Vanessa was already three weeks into her two month long internship at O.W.C.A. Although she was predominately working for the undercover and spying department, the girl was ambitiously learning everything about the organization that she could. It would be fun to see the girl learn combat alongside the new recruits.

Vanessa seemed unbothered by Perry's new role in her dad's life. If anything, she was happier their relationship turned out the way it did. It was both encouraging and reliving for Perry, who cared deeply for the girl, and didn't want to be an intrusion.

Perry thought's were interrupted with the ringing of the bell, and, with a subtle wink in Vanessa's direction, Perry turned and addressed his class.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When the agent returned home, he was exhausted. Wonderful aromas hit Perry's nose and made his stomach growl as he walked into his apartment. Had Heinz already made dinner?

The artist had his back facing Perry, and was humming to a tune inside his head as he cut up a pile of vegetables. The agent, smirking at the man's adorableness, stealthily sneaked up behind the man and put his arms around his waist. Heinz jumped for a brief moment, but chuckled when he realized who was cuddling him. The sight was even funnier, seeing as Perry was a bit shorter than Heinz.

"Hello!" Heinz laughed. "I swear, you're as silent as a.. well, whatever doesn't make any noise, like uh.. oh, a fox! Silent as a fox, you are."

Perry grinned and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek. "I didn't know you were making dinner."

"Well, I had some time, and I was hungry, and knew you'd probably be hungry, so I just figured, hey, why not use up that avocado sauce from last night? It's a pasta dish, with tomatoes and spinach."

"Mm. Sounds delicious. Thank you, you didn't have to do that."

Both Heinz and Perry had made the agreement, upon rejoining the agency last year, that they were going to go completely vegan. Perry had already been leaning towards borderline vegetarian, but figured it was time he show his coworkers true respect, plus, try a healthier lifestyle. Although both had found the adjustment difficult, they were starting to get used to the change. And even though Heinz had quit the agency a few months prior to follow his artistic passion, he was so excited about learning the new dishes, that he hadn't quit the pact.

The two settled at the table for dinner and gobbled down the meal with fever. Perry had to agree that the dish was absolutely stunning. He knew he was blessed to have a man that could cook, since his own culinary skills were absolutely appalling.

"Are you ready for your art show this weekend?" Perry grinned.

Heinz sighed. "Honestly, I'm terrified. I think people have been responding to my work online, but what if they see my paintings in person and realize how amateur they are?"

The agent reached out and took his boyfriend's hand. "People will love your work, baby. You'll see! They are absolutely gorgeous."

A solid blush crept though the man's cheeks at the word baby. Perry grinned; he loved using it, knowing how secretly happy it made his partner. "You're biased." Heinz finally murmured, pouting.

"Only because I know I'm right."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You don't even make any sense."

"Your _mom_."

The two looked at each other for a split second, then burst out laughing. Despite their constant bantering, it was never mean-spirited, and always ended in the two of them sharing a good laugh. Perry smiled at the way his boyfriend's eyes shone and crinkled around the corners. They had come a long what their relationship had been a year ago.

After dinner, the two retreated to the bedroom. The room was now a complete collage of both Heinz and Perry's mess, with a drawer full of blueprints, many of Heinz's paintings hanging on the walls, and an assortment of Perry's emergency weapons on the drawer counter.

Heinz wiggled his eyebrows at Perry suggestively, making the agent chuckled and pull his boyfriend in for a long-relished kiss. The two fell into the bathroom, somehow managing to start the shower and remove their clothes without injury.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Perry laid awake, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the gentle breathing of his partner, who was cuddled up against his chest. The agent was seriously beginning to wonder if he was unknowingly ADHD, because he couldn't get his mind to shut up. Or maybe, he was just scared of falling asleep, for fear of the nightmares that awaited him.

Or maybe, it was the anxiety of the little secret that was hiding in his bedroom.

Carefully, as not to disturb Heinz, Perry reached up to the counter, and pulled a little box out of his O.W.C.A. fedora. He opened it to show the beautiful silver band that sat inside, and watched as it glistened against the moonlight.

The ring Heinz had worn when he was married to Charlene had been gold, so Perry had gone with silver. Engraved on the back was the date of their first meeting. It was made of sterling silver, but it wasn't too heavy. Perry thought it looked a lot like Heinz.

He'd bought the ring yesterday. But despite the excitement of their relationship, Perry was still wondering if it was too soon. He'd thought for sure Heinz would be exhilarated, but now, doubts were starting to creep into his mind.

What if the man said no? Or what if he wasn't ready? Where would that leave them? And could Perry really do this? He was so happy, and loved this man so much, but was he ready for this level of commitment?

He closed the box, set it back in his hat, and laid his hands against Heinz's bare shoulders, rubbing them lovingly. His partner shifted and subconsciously leaned into the touch, but he didn't wake. Perry smiled and closed his eyes. He would deal with these thoughts in the morning. For now, he was content just to fall asleep listening to Heinz's soft breathing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Perry awoke to gentle kisses being placed all along his face and jaw. The agent groaned, and rolled over, scooping up his partner and pulling him on top of him. Heinz squeaked playfully, and continued to pepper kisses against Perry's forehead as the agent gently scraped his teeth against Heinz's neck.

This drove the man crazier, and he bucked his hips against the man's chest. Suddenly getting an idea, Perry rotated their positions, enjoying the needy look on the man's face, and ducked down, running his lips over Heinz's stomach, then tantalizingly down his legs.

"You.. tease.." Heinz panted.

The agent grinned. He loved how he knew just how to make his partner squirm.

By the time their alarms sounded, both men were sweaty, sticky, and panting next to each other. Heinz had his face against the crook of Perry's neck, and was breathing in heavily, letting the heavenly haze clear.

"Did I leave enough time for breakfast?" Heinz asked, smiling.

Perry leaned over and kissed the man on the forehead. "I'll take it to-go."

By the time Perry was finished getting ready, his partner already had his breakfast waiting on the table, and was already deep into his work. Heinz worked for an agency, doing both graphic design and studio artwork for different companies. He had a particularly large project projected on the screen, and seemed to be applying the final edits. Perry kissed the man goodbye.

"Are you leaving, Perry the Platypus?"

Norm. Perry chuckled at the robot. No matter how many times they tried, Norm would never reduce that long name.

"Yeah. I'll see you later, okay? Maybe we can keep working on that female robot for you."

"Oh boy! I would love that!"

Norm was quite a strange robot, certainly not as programmed as Heinz claimed he was. The more he existed, the more he seemed to have a mind and emotions of his own. Despite Heinz's reluctance to let the robot continue to be activated 24/7, Perry felt a sort of pity for Norm, and wanted to acknowledge his emotions.

They were still working on Heinz's sarcastic retorts against the robot, but progress was being made.

When Perry arrived at headquarters, there was a mountain load of e-mails to be answered. The only thing the agent hated about his new job was the amount of paperwork he had to fill out. Boring, boring, oh, save that for later. This one's urgent. Star that. Boring, boring, uh.. what is this?

A strange email popped up at the very bottom of Perry's inbox. It was sent late last night. He didn't recognize the source, but it wasn't spam, else O.W.C.A.'s system would have blocked it before it could get through. There was no subject line, either.

Curious, Perry opened the email and scrolled down.

Letters and numbers. That's all it was. Letters and numbers.

 _SGVsbG8sIFBlcnJ5LiBJZiB0aGF0IGV2ZW4gaWYgeW91ciByZWFsIG5hbWUuIEkganVzdCB3YW50ZWQgdG8gbGV0IHlvdSBrbm93IGhvdyBtdWNoIEkgaGF2ZSBzdWZmZXJlZCBqdXN0IHRvIGZpbmQgeW91LCBhbmQgaG93IG11Y2ggSSB3YW50IHRvIHRha2UgeW91IGFsaXZlLiANCg0KWW91ciBzZWNyZXQgYWRtaXJlcg0KDQo=_

It looked like someone had tried to write an e-mail and fell asleep at the keyboard. Perry read the small note two or three times, looking for some kind of hidden code within the hodgepodge of verbiage. However, his limited knowledge of coding didn't help interpret it at all. Deciding to bring it to his boss's attention at a later date, Perry moved the e-mail to his starred folder, and continued on with his work day.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Perry returned home to find Vanessa in the living room, reading one of her teenage magazines. The agent suddenly remembered that it was Heinz's weekend. Despite the fact that Vanessa was now an adult and could visit either of her parents as she pleased, she usually kept the same schedule, as it seemed to work for all parties involved. When she saw Perry, she jumped up and gave him a quick hug.

"How was work?"

Perry laughed. "Uneventful. Which wasn't a bad thing. Although my boss, Major Derrell, totally fell during a presentation today, and was so embarrassed. I almost felt bad for the man."

Vanessa giggled, raising an eyebrow. "Almost?"

Suddenly, the back door swung open and Heinz waltzed in, looking bright but tired. He hugged both his daughter and his boyfriend before announcing that pizza would be arriving shortly.

"Yes!" Vanessa cried.

After the three were finished eating, Vanessa escaped to her room, Heinz settled in the living room to read a book, and Perry crouched on the floor, continuing to work on the main engine that would run a female robot for Norm.

Norm watched him with fever, and made sure Perry had every tool that he needed available.

The evening continued on in peace, despite Norm's random, and fairly loud comments throughout Perry's work.

After a particularly startling comment by the robot, Heinz let out a loud sigh. "Norm, I swear, you're-"

Perry gave his partner a glare.

Heinz sputtered. "Ah- you're, going to be really happy once Perry's done, I'm sure."

"I know. She will be so perfect!"

Perry smiled teasingly at Heinz, who glared back at Perry. Yes, progress.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Vanessa immediately pulled off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Today had been a harder day to get through than normal; and not for any reason that she could pinpoint. She just had hard days like today, sometimes.

The teenager let the warm water hit her body, relaxing against its calming power. Weariness washed off her like a bad smell. But despite her attempts at breathing in and out, anxiety lingered.

Why was she so useless?

Those little voices would never go away, would they? And before Vanessa knew it, she was digging her fingernails into her arm, trying to make their taunting stop. But it wasn't enough. It never was.

The razor blade was loose and blood was streaming down her arm before she knew what she was doing. Vanessa looked at herself, and counted up the cuts, both new and old, trying to find any release that she could.

One, two, three, ten twenty, thirty..

Too many. So disgusting.

When the shower stopped, the blood was gone, and she wrapped her arms in a few bandages, trying to get the bleeding to stop. She'd tried months ago to end this hopeless cycle, but Vanessa was already feeling a bit better as her mind focused on the pain rather than her own thoughts.

After getting into her pajamas, Vanessa jumped onto her bed and pulled out her phone.

 _Lacie: Hey, we need to talk_

 _About what?_ Vanessa typed back.

It took a couple minutes, but soon the girl could see her friend replying. After a minute, another text popped on her screen. _It's Orville and his gang. They're talking about revenge. I think they're going to try and kill you._

What?

Vanessa had talked Lacie out of affiliating herself with the likes of Orville, and the other evil scientist kids that had caused major trouble last year. But although Lacie had made a promise, Vanessa still suspected her friend of dating one of the members off and on. And because of it, was still technically involved in the gang's business.

Honestly, Vanessa knew those idiots would try something drastic like this. But she hadn't expected it so soon. And despite her new training at O.W.C.A., it still terrified her.

What should she do? Go to her father? Go to Perry? Go to her boss? Either of those would be fairly safe options, but there wasn't much they could do about it, was there? Lacie was merely warning her that there could be a plot. She'd be making a scene for no reason.

 _Thanks for the tip._ Vanessa replied. _Are you with them right now?_

 _No. Just got home. I'm sorry, I know I said I'd stay away.._

 _It's okay._ Vanessa sighed. _Just please, be safe. And thank you._

Lacie disappeared from the chat. Vanessa let out a long breath of air and painfully rubbed her forehead. Why did all this shit have to drag itself out like this? Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

The teenager pulled out a set of headphones and put on some music, hoping it would help her fall asleep.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Perry jumped, startling awake. Immediately, he reached for the counter, grabbed his blaster, and pointed it forwards. For a moment, the world spun in a hurricane of adrenaline, until the agent noticed who was standing there, with arms raised.

Heinz.

Perry dropped the gun and took a deep breath, only just realizing how much he was sweating.

"Perry?.." "I'm sorry." The agent gasped, forcing himself to calm down. "I'm sorry. Just.. don't sneak up on me like that."

The man looked pained. "I forgot my retainer. I didn't mean.."

Perry nodded and held out his hands, motioning for the man to come back to bed. Immediately, the artist settled into Perry's arms and held onto his chest, scratching his head and whispering how much he loved him.

The agent tried to push away the guilty feeling, but deep down, he felt horrible. Why couldn't the nightmares just stop? Why did he have to feel so trapped all the time?

What if he actually hurt Heinz one day?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

If Perry wasn't a highly-trained field agent, he'd be fidgeting with his hands at that moment. But despite the amount of stress that his mind was under, he sat completely still. The agent took a breath as he watched the man sat across from him scribble something down on his notepad.

"Something seems to be bothering you."

Perry hated therapy. He'd started a few months ago, realizing that his stable relationship with Heinz would require him to confront some sleeping demons he'd let fester for way too long. However, opening up about his deepest and darkest memories wasn't easy. In fact, it made him nauseous most sessions.

Dr. John, his therapist, waited patiently. Perry did appreciate that about the man. He never rushed him.

"Heinz startled me last night." The scientist finally admitted. "In my nightmare-induced state, I grabbed the gun on the dresser next to me and pointed it at his forehead. He tried to brush it off, but I know it scared him half to death."

Dr. John's eyes softened. "I see. You know, it's normal to be paranoid when experiencing PTSD, even if it's a loved one who causes it."

"But what if I had pulled the trigger?"

"But you didn't."

"But what if I did?" "You can't live on the 'what ifs' in life." The man sighed, taking off his glasses and looking Perry straight in the eyes. "What if you hadn't defeated your evil memory, Dr. Tecton? What if you hadn't told Heinz how you felt? But that doesn't matter, because you did. So questioning the what if is unnecessary."

Perry dubiously raised an eyebrow.

"My point is: you didn't pull the trigger. That's good. It shows that you are able to decipher dreams from reality, and rather quickly, despite the trauma your mind is rehashing. If it makes you feel any better, maybe you could leave the gun farther away, just until you trust yourself a little more."

Perry nodded. He really felt that he had no choice either way.

"Talk with Heinz, Perry." Dr. John smiled. "Despite what you may think, he understands what you're going through."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Perry arrived home in a strange mood. He wasn't angry, or sad, or even upset, just.. numb. He walked into the apartment and met his boyfriend's greeting with a slightly forced smile. Heinz's eyes softened, remembering that Perry was usually like this after going through a therapy session.

The agent said nothing as he grabbed a mug and began making himself some tea.

"Are you okay?" Heinz spit out, unable to contain the question any longer.

Perry turned around and nodded, stepping forward to pull Heinz into a big hug. "I'm sorry I pulled the gun on you last night. I just, I didn't-"

"Hey." Heinz replied sweetly. "You're still thinking about that? It's okay. I understand."

Perry cringed, laying his head on his boyfriend's shoulder as they sat at the kitchen table. After a moment, in a small, quiet voice, he asked, "Do you still have nightmares about your father?"

Heinz, who was rubbing his back, sighed. "How about you get your tea and we move to the couch?"

Nodding, the agent did as he was told and cuddled against Heinz on the living room couch, right in front of the TV. The two sat in silence for a moment. Perry figured his partner was trying to come up with the best way to answer his question.

Finally, the man returned to stroking Perry's long, wavy hair and began talking. "I still get nightmares about my father. It used to be really bad when I was going through evil science school. Even though he was then miles away, it still felt like he was right there, looming over me with his harsh judgement." Heinz was now in full backstory mode. "And honestly, it doesn't get much easier. I'm an adult now, with a child of my own, but they were my parents, you know? I wish I could've made them proud. Instead, their disappointment will always haunt me."

Heinz turned and lifted Perry's chin, locking their eyes together. "I promise that talking about it will make it easier. And-" Heinz held up a hand when Perry opened his mouth, "I know that you aren't ready yet. But I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I will listen. Just like you always have done for me."

"I know." Perry nodded. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Noon. And thank goodness, because Vanessa's stomach was rumbling.

Vanessa's had spent the majority of her day working on learning what different spy equipment O.W.C.A. used and how to handle them in certain cases. This job seemed very interesting to her. It was amazing how the company was able to obtain such a large amount of information for their agents.

Vanessa was typing something up on her phone as she walked down the main corridor, and didn't see the figure that bumped into her about half way through. Maybe it was because most of the agents wandering around only stood at about her knee's length, or maybe it was because of her distractedness, because she immediately blushed as soon as she saw who she'd run into.

Monty Monogram. Major Monogram's son.

Although his father was now imprisoned for life, the boy- well, man, now- hadn't turned on his job, and decided to stay with the company in order to continue to fight evil. Thankfully, no one really blamed Monty or treated him poorly for the criminal actions of his father. Actually, he was rather well-liked.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't see you there." Monty panted, obviously right in the middle of a tough workout. He pulled out his earbuds and helped her stand. "You're.. Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, right?"

"Last I checked." She smiled, trying to act cool. "It's okay, I wasn't watching where I was going, either."

"Well, I'm still sorry." He grinned. "Listen, I've gotta run, but would you like to get some coffee or something, sometime?"

Now the teenage girl was grinning. "Yeah. Sounds cool."

Hurriedly, Monty scribbled on the back of a piece of lined paper and handed it to her. "Great! Call me sometime."

And before she knew it, he was running down the hallway, and gone from her view. Vanessa immediately typed his number into her phone, and tried not to show the immense excitement that flooded through her as she headed down to the cafeteria. She had a date! With the cutest boy in this building!

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Peter sighed in disappointment. When the panda dropped into the darkened lair, there was no noise to be heard, and nobody to be seen. Unfortunately, this had become a common occurrence; he'd be sent on a mission, ready to thwart Professor Mystery, and the man would simply leave him to wonder what was going on. There was no danger, no threat, and no communication.

Finally, Peter was able to make out Professor Mystery's face from the very back corner. Peter waltzed over, unsure if he should wait for a trap, or maybe just trap himself for convenience.

"Hello, Peter the Panda." The man finally hissed, stepping forward. "Surprised to see me? I thought you'd like this little scheme.."

Suddenly, the man pulled back a curtain, revealing a scary looking device aimed out a window down into the city of Seattle. Peter glanced up at the machine, then back at his nemesis, blinking in confusion. The silence stretched on for what seemed like hours. Peter waited for some explanation on what exactly he was supposed to be doing, but when Professor Mystery made no other movements, the panda sighed.

The evil scientist was standing in an alerted pose, as if ready for the agent to begin fighting. But honestly, Peter had had enough.

He almost debated changing into his human form just to yell at the man. Instead, Peter shrugged his shoulders and reapplied his jetpack, activating it for take off.

"Seriously?" Professor Mystery cried, running up to Peter before he blasted off. "You're just going to leave? I have this dangerous, evil device prepared and ready for fire, and I'm standing here, in the opportune moment for you to thwart me, and you're just going to leave without a how-do-you-do?"

Peter the Panda shrugged again. How could he explain? The essence and the addiction of the fight didn't exist in this nemesis-ship. In fact, Peter was feeling more and more confident that the man didn't have it in him to be truly evil. That device might even be fake. Where was the threat, the ominous monologue, the thrill of the chase?

Professor Mystery snarled, clearly offended. But the agent didn't really have the energy to care. This was it. He was asking for a new nemesis.

The agent had activated the jetpack once more, and blasted off into the dreary Seattle sky, leaving Professor Mystery below to curse him. But it wasn't a satisfying feeling, for either the agent or the evil scientist.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Hey, Ferb, I know what we're going to do today!"

Perry smiled affectionately at Phineas and Ferb, who were fashioned in nice button ups and black slacks, all excited to tour Heinz's artwork display that day. Despite being a year older, both of the boys still wanted to have the best summer ever, and make every minute of it count.

Tailed behind them was a small Maltese puppy, who stood only up to the children's knees. His floppy ears wiggled to and fro as he barked at any and everything. The boys had named him Bartholomew, of all names, and loved him as much as they had loved Perry when he was their pet.

The dog wasn't an agent, thank goodness. He simply dashed about, wagging his tail and barking for Phineas and Ferb to start playing with him.

Perry was glad his boys had found a new companion. Although he missed those peaceful moments being in their presence and watching them work, his relationship with them as a human was more satisfying. Now he was actually able to be involved in their lives, rather than simply watch it pass by.

The gallery was being held at the Danville museum, and was open to the public. Despite Heinz's absolute horror, rumor had it that Rodger Doofenshmirtz, Heinz's brother and mayor of Danville, was coming to view the gallery, too.

Perry, dressed in a completely black suit with a black tie to match, excused himself from Phineas and Ferb for a moment, and stepped back into the bathroom where Heinz was stood in front of the sink, staring at himself in the mirror. He had a panicked expression, as if he was about to explode.

Perry immediately stepped up and put a hand on his partner's back. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Heinz cried out, turning around and grabbing Perry's shoulders. "This was a bad, bad, bad, idea! I think I'm going to be sick!"

Perry sighed as his boyfriend splashed water over his face, trying to calm down.

"Heinz, you're going to do great." Perry smiled. "Let your artwork do all the talking. Every painting, sculpture, and sketch out there is absolutely beautiful. You put your soul into your work. Every line, brush stroke, and curve simply magnifies your talent."

"Or my utter doom." Heinz muttered, leaning his head against the wall. "Plus my brother Rodger is going to be here. He never resists a moment to embarrass me. Why would today be any different?"

Perry frowned. "Because I will punch him if he starts belittling you. That's why. Now come on. Guests are arriving, and they can't wait to see their newest beloved artist."

Despite his cries of despair, Heinz reluctantly agreed to come out and put on a smile for the citizens of Danville. As they stepped out of the bathroom, Vanessa approached, wearing a beautiful black dress and high-heeled shoes. She ran up, and hugged and kissed both of them on the cheek.

"They just opened the doors! Everyone wants to meet you, Dad!"

Perry grinned and held out his crooked arm. Smiling gratefully, Heinz took his extended gesture and followed them out into the foyer. Immediately, people walked up to meet the two of them, as hundreds of people browsed the gorgeous selection of paintings. Murmurs of approval followed the crowd.

Perry remained a statue of moral support for his boyfriend, who was completely floored by all the complements, and unsure how to respond to them.

It wasn't long before Mayor Rodger Doofenshmirtz arrived on the scene, followed by an entourage of cameras and journalists.

"Ah, and here he is- the star of the show, my brother, Heinz Doofenshmirtz!"

Heinz gulped as the cameras turned to him and Perry. Journalists began hounding him with questions about his work and his muse, which Heinz answered slowly, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention. However, as he talked, the monologue tendencies in him began to take over, and soon he was taking his audience through a swift course into his mind.

"Thank you, everyone!" Rodger smiled as the news finished and cut the cameras. He then turned to his brother and clasped his arm in a warm handshake, before excitedly doing the same to Perry. "My dear brother, what an honor. Your artwork is the talk of the town. I can't wait to see what masterpieces you've created. And Perry, good to see you. You are looking well."

Perry nodded politely, and elbowed his boyfriend, who was completely shocked by the compliments. "Oh, ah, thank you.." Heinz blushed.

Rodger departed to view the gallery, and the cameras quickly followed him. Finally, the two of them were alone for a second. Heinz was still holding onto Perry like a life preserver, but the agent was seeing puffs of confidence begin to blossom on his boyfriend's face.

"Are you okay?" Perry whispered.

Heinz smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. It's just.. insane.."

"You're a talented artist, Heinz. Everyone loves you and your work."

Suddenly, the noise of two young voices and two pairs of running legs dashed down the hallway. "Dr. D! Dr. Perry! Can we visit the rest of the gallery with you?"

 _Would they ever quit it with the Dr. Perry?_

Perry glanced to Heinz who nodded. "Sure, boys."  
Linda and Lawrence waved goodbye as Phineas and Ferb tailed them to the other side of the room, where Heinz's biggest paintings, and one of his sculptures, were put on display.

"This is my favorite!" Phineas beamed, pointing to the abstract artwork hanging over a white wall. It was titled Muse.

"It was inspired by how I regain my steam after having scientist-block." Heinz shrugged. "Just chaos and confusion, and a lot of anxiety."

The four then trailed down into another room, full of framed versions of Heinz's many professional sketches. Perry grinned when he saw the sketch of him polishing wine glasses on the wall, the very sketch Perry had discovered months ago.

It was titled _Beauty._

Perry giggled as Heinz blushed all the way up to his forehead. "I, ah, was just really proud of that one."

"Hmm.." Perry grinned as Phineas and Ferb continued down, out of hearing range. "I wonder how else you've drawn me, doctor?"

"You're perverted." Heinz shushed, playfully swatting him in the arm.

Soon, the whole Flynn-Fletcher family was back together, including Candace and Jeremy, who were holding hands and talking with each other. Perry excused himself from Heinz to visit the open bar at the end of the hallway.

"I'll have a Manhattan, please."

The bartender nodded and began mixing his cocktail. After his drink was made, Perry tipped his head to thank the man.

"One second." The bartender spoke. "Are you Perry Michael?"

The agent raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Someone asked me to give this to you."

Curiously, Perry picked up the little box that was handed to him. He felt around its lid and bottom, feeling for triggers or anything out of the ordinary. However, when there was nothing to discover, the agent carefully opened up the lid.

Inside was a sticky note, and all it said was _Base64._

Well.. weird..

Unsure what to make of the note, Perry stuffed it in his pocket and grabbed his drink, deciding to take it to O.W.C.A. in the morning for testing.

When Perry returned, Heinz was no longer looking like the scaredy cat that he'd been this evening, and was instead happily talking to people about his different painting techniques. Perry turned and noticed Charlene, followed by Vanessa.

"Hello, Perry." The woman smiled. "How are you?"

Perry hadn't known that Charlene was going to be attending. Perhaps Vanessa had asked her to come?

Although the agent didn't really know the woman well, they'd met a few times when dropping Vanessa off at school or work and so on. She was a polite and level-headed woman, who didn't show much of an emotional response to the news that her ex-husband was dating another man. Thankfully, she hadn't inserted herself much into their relationship, and simply kept her distance.

"I'm well." Perry nodded curtly. "How are things?"

"Oh, they're usual." She smiled. "Although I think my company is going to be bought out at the end of the month. Here's to hoping there aren't many terrible changes coming. How are you and Heinz? Any plans for the future, yet?"

Perry suddenly became alarmingly aware of the ring that was still sitting in it's box in his fedora. He cringed, but immediately controlled his face and let it breath back into a calm state once more. "We're hoping to move out of the apartment here pretty soon."

"Oh! How wonderful! That place was a cheap deal, anyway."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows at her mother's insensitive comment, but didn't say anything. Perry simply decided not to retort, and excused himself from her presence. It was always too awkward to talk to the woman for too long.

Pretty soon, everyone was heading home from the big event, including Phineas and Ferb and their friends and family, who waved goodbye. All except for Phineas, who ran up and gave both Heinz and Perry a hug before racing off after his step-brother.

Heinz began to glow fondly. "Do you think we'll ever raise kids, Perry?"

The agent blanched. That question had come out of nowhere.

Heinz noticed his alarmed look and instantly retorted. "I mean, I know that's way down the road, I just.."

Perry sighed and kissed his boyfriend on the forehead. "Sorry, you just caught me off guard. There's no one in the world I'd rather raise a child with. We'll talk about it one day, yeah?"

Satisfied with that answer, Heinz hugged his partner and ran off to see how many paintings he'd sold that night. Perry watched him with a concerned gaze.

Raise kids? Where had that come from?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Despite his best efforts, Perry couldn't keep Heinz's comment out of his mind. Raise kids? Did that mean Heinz would be okay with getting married? Or was it just an emotional thought, one that would disparate with a little discussion?

Honestly, Perry wasn't entirely against the idea, he had just never considered it. Raising children had never crossed his radar as a pursuit or a long-awaited dream. They'd just never been much of an option in his life. But now..

Perry imagined a little adopted boy from China, running around the living room, watching Heinz paint and laughing with his pants on his head, asking all kinds of ridiculous questions. No, he definitely wasn't against the idea. But that reality was quite far from today, so reluctantly, Perry forced himself to focus on the present.

When Perry had first received the sticky note from the bartender, he'd been quite confused, and more than a little creeped out. But upon looking through his e-mail the next morning, the answer suddenly became clear.

Base64. That was the decoder.

Hurriedly, Perry copied the random string of text from that cryptic e-mail he'd been sent earlier, and ran it through an average Base64 decoder software. Immediately, a message appeared through the chaos.

 _Hello, Perry. If that even if your real name. I just wanted to let you know how much I have suffered just to find you, and how much I want to take you alive._

 _Your secret admirer_

Perry blanched. What the actual fuck.

The agent knew he had to bring this to someone's attention, but who? His major? But Perry knew if he wanted this to be tight-lipped, he needed to keep it within a very limited group of people, and he wasn't sure he could trust Major Darrell to do that. Instead, Perry scrambled out of his cubicle and stopped just a few feet down where Agent Pinky was typing away at her desk.

Pinky looked up expectantly. _Are you okay?_

Agent Pinky the Chihuahua was one of the most prestigious and talented agents in the facility, and also one of Perry's closest friends, especially after their undercover break-in through O.W.C.A. itself last year. The dog had been a little wary of Perry after his human identity was completely blown, but the agent did the best he could to restore the relationship and prove his character.

Perry shook his head. _I've got something weird to show you._

The agent set his laptop down on Pinky's desk and offered her to take a look. The chihuahua read it over for a brief moment, before glancing at Perry with a curious expression. _And this was sent to you when?_

 _A few days ago. I didn't think anything of it, until I decoded it. But that's not all. Someone in the crowd at Heinz's art exhibit last night literally told the bartender to give me this box._

Perry retrieved the tiny cardboard box and gave it to Pinky, who studied it for a moment.

 _That's.. odd._ She finally concluded. _And very disturbing. I think I know a guy who could do a little forensic work and see if we can find any clues, both physically and virtually. Trust me, if there's anything remotely telling, this guy could find it. He'll pay a fee, of course._

 _How much?_

 _Nothing exuberant._

 _Alright. Thank you._

Pinky tipped her hat before hiding the little box and going to work. Although the little dog never talked about it, Perry was almost certain she was part of some sort of independent hacker group, though what she was doing involved there, Perry couldn't say. All he knew was she'd be immediately terminated if it ever came to light. Perry held that trust in great regard.

Feeling a little better now that actions were being taken, Perry grabbed his gear and headed down the stairs to where his class of recruits was probably waiting for him.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Vanessa arrived at Steam Noir with a giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Monty had agreed to meet her here for coffee during their usual lunch break.

The boy wasn't there when she walked in, so Vanessa ordered an espresso and took a seat at one of the high top tables in the corner. It wasn't very long before Monty came strolling in, wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie, and searched around. Vanessa waved.

"Ah, there you are." Monty grinned. "Good to see you. Sorry I'm running late. Were you waiting long?"

"No, not at all." Vanessa blushed.

"I'm going to grab some coffee and I'll be right back. Anything I can get you?"

"I'm fine, but thank you."

Vanessa sipped her espresso as she waited for Monty to get his coffee. Soon, he was seated again, coffee and a scone in hand before setting it against the table, giving his beverage a second to cool down.

"So, how are you liking your internship at O.W.C.A.?"

"A lot, actually." Vanessa replied. "I didn't know the organization was stationed in such a large portion of the western hemisphere."

"It is crazy." Monty agreed. "I'm glad you're liking it, though. I think we do good work."

"What do you do, again?"

"Oh, I'm training to be a major at the moment, though I'm doing part-time work as a field agent." "So, you have a nemesis?"

"Not exactly. I mostly run individual covert operations, or step in when certain agents are unavailable. Sometimes, I work emergency rescue missions if we don't have enough staff. It keeps me on my toes, that's for sure."

Vanessa nodded. "I've been learning a lot about your spy department. But I'll be honest, I'm growing more and more curious on the forensic psychology aspect of your company. It's interesting, how they profile different evil scientists and gather information to keep track of their intelligence levels."

"I know he's a good guy now, but if you check out your dad's, he was actually one of our high profile villains. His inventions were really something. That's why he was assigned to Agent P."

 _Really?_

Vanessa knew her dad was a misunderstood genius, but had no idea he was so prevalent among O.W.C.A.'s top "threat" list.

"So, tell me something about you." Monty continued, taking a sip of coffee before breaking lose a glimmering smile.

"Like what?"

"You look like the type of girl to enjoy good taste. Favorite type of music?"

Vanessa chuckled. "I'm into the heavier stuff. Most people, including my parents, don't seem to understand the appeal, unfortunately."

"I know." Monty gasped. "My dad is so- well, was, so against any bands under that genre."

Monty looked away, obviously trying not to draw attention to his slip up. Vanessa frowned. She knew Monty's father had been convicted of murder, which was a complete shock to every single person who knew him. However, no one who ever mentioned the man seemed to think about what the whole situation had done to his family. The thought was heartbreaking.

"Do you.. ever see him?"

Monty sighed, setting his head in his hands. "Right now, I can't. I look at pictures, and I just.. I can't." A pause. "Sorry." Monty chuckled, releasing another smile. "I don't mean to get all depressing."

Vanessa waved her hands in dismissal, and quickly changed the subject to spare him any more embarrassment. They talked more about music and their favorite band members, plus their favorite restaurants and how fed up they were with trying to figure out where to go in life. Vanessa was quite surprised at the amount of things they had in common. And he actually made her laugh.

About an hour in, and the coffee was long gone. Monty looked at his watch and inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, Vanessa. I've got to get back. Evil never stops, you know? But would you ever consider going out with me again?"

"Hm.." Vanessa smirked. "Admit that The Screaming Fangs is top, and I might." Monty playfully pouted. "You wouldn't."

"I'm kidding, O.W.C.A. boy. I'm free this weekend. I'd be happy to do something."

"Perfect." He grinned. "I'll call you. See you at the office!"

Vanessa immediately texted one of her girls from high school about the date, and sat there internally screaming about how amazing this cute boy she worked with was. He was older, more mature, amazing at his job, and best of all, a complete music lover like she was.

Finally, something was going her way.


End file.
